Malteco Malteco Seleccion 1993

Malteco is a Panamanian-sourced brand, and this Seleccion 1993 is a long-aged expression, a twenty-five-year column-distilled molasses rum matured in ex-bourbon and bottled at 40%. It shows the soft, sweet, dessert-leaning side of Panamanian rum, with the years in cask adding a nutty, spiced depth.

The nose is warm and inviting, vanilla and cinnamon over almond and a general nuttiness. The palate is sweet and smooth, chocolate, vanilla and oak in a rounded, creamy frame, the finish carrying vanilla, spice and a creamy sweetness. This is a polished, easygoing old Panamanian that prioritises smoothness over intensity, the sort of bottle that offers comfortable sipping at fair value rather than challenge. Drinkers who enjoy a soft, sweet, nutty style of long-aged rum will find it pleasant and well mannered, though it stays mellow rather than powerful at this strength.